The Orange Army managed to defeat Kings XI Punjab comfortably to end their home campaign on a winning note. The stadium was jam-packed to bid adieu to the Orange Army, and the team didn’t disappoint the crowd
A stupendous all-round performance by the hosts saw the visitors get hammered in the most obnoxious manner possible at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. The Orange Army managed to defeat Kings XI Punjab comfortably to end their home campaign on a winning note. The stadium was jam-packed to bid adieu to the Orange Army, and the team didn’t disappoint the crowd.
They first posted a mammoth total of 212 runs on the board and then the bowlers did enough to get over the finish line despite KL Rahul giving a little bit of scare in the end. Rashid Khan and Khaleel were the stands out bowlers for Sunrisers Hyderabad as they picked six wickets between them to help the team stay at the fourth spot of the points table.
Let’s look at the factors which helped Hyderabad register their sixth win in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
David Warner was at his best with the bat in the last game for Sunrisers this season after the Kings XI Punjab skipper Ravi Ashwin opted to field first. Wriddhiman Saha opened the innings with him today, and the decision worked wonders for the home side. The wicketkeeper-batsman smacked 28 runs in 13 balls even as Warner also plundered runs and SRH crossed the 70-run mark inside the powerplay overs.
Though Saha got out soon after the powerplay he had done his job perfectly. Manish Pandey then came and played second foil to the Australian. Both of them ran well between the wickets as well and targeted specific bowlers, especially Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
The duo added 82 runs for the second wicket and despite losing them in the same over, SRH crossed 200 comfortably. Warner smashed 81 runs off just 56 balls with seven fours and a couple of superb hits out of the ground. His innings helped Hyderabad post a mammoth total of 212 runs on the board.
The chase began on the worst note for the visitors. Khaleel Ahmed got the better of Chris Gayle in as early as the third over. Mayank Agarwal came out and played a few attractive strokes to strung a 60-run partnership with in-form KL Rahul. Once Mayank departed, Punjab was on the back foot.
Post this, the team lost momentum in the chase as Rashid Khan dented their middle order further, sending David Miller and Ravichandran Ashwin in the same over. In no time, the score for Punjab looked 107 runs in 13 overs with half side back to the pavilion. The visitors never really got back into the game as they suffered a sixth defeat.
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